The Talk of the Rest of the Town

A MobyLives survey:

THE TALK OF THE REST OF THE TOWN

by Dennis Loy Johnson

A tip from a high–ranking executive at one of the very biggest publishers in New York led to the newest MobyLives survey: Did you ever notice how the overwhelming majority of The New Yorker magazine's writers are men?

As it turns out, there have even been issues of The New Yorker this year where the magazine's table of contents featured no women at all, or where the only contribution by a woman was a single poem. There hasn't been much fiction by women, but when there is, it's usually by a big star. And by far, the preponderance of contributions written by women so far this year have come from staffers filing reviews in the back section, as opposed to being featured in a star turn in the features section.

Here's the year's full breakdown of the magazine's table of contents, issue by issue:

• December 23 & 30, 2002
Total bylines: 17
Number of men: 11
Number of women: 6
Pertinent details:Of the six by–lines for writers in the table of contents for this double issue, the Winter Fiction issue, two are for the same person — Elizabeth Bishop, for two separate poems. Of the remaining four female contributors, one is for staffer Joan Acocella, another is for Carol Muske–Dukes, who contributed a poem, and Zadie Smith and Annie Proulx each contriubted a short story.

• December 16, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 7
Number of women: 5
Pertinent details:Of the five pieces by women in this issue's table of contents, one is a feature by staffer Susan Orlean, two are reviews by staffers Nancy Franklin and Ruth Franklin, and two are poems, one by Mary Jo Salter and Muriel Spark.

• December 9, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 9
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details:Of the three bylines belonging to women in this issue, one is for a "Critic at Large" feature by Susan Sontag; one is for book review by staffer Joan Acocella; and one is for a poem by Linda Bierds.

• December 2, 2002
Total bylines: 15
Number of men: 13
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details:One of the two bylines in this issue belonging to women is that of staffer Arlene Croce for a "Critic at Large" piece, the other is for a piece of fiction by Louise Erdrich.

• November 25, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 8
Number of women: 4
Pertinent details:Of the bylines in this issue belonging to women, one is for a "Shouts and Murmurs" column by Prudence Crowther, another belongs to staffer Elizabeth Kolbert, one is for a piece of fiction by ZZ Packer, and one is for a poem by Elizabeth Spires.

• November 18, 2002
Total bylines: 14
Number of men: 12
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details:Both the bylines in this issue belonging to women belong to staffers. One is for a "Our Local Correspondents" piece by Claudia Roth Pierpont, the other is a fashion review in the back pages by Judith Thurman.

• November 11, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 11
Number of women: 1
Pertinent details:The only byline in this issue — "The Cartoon Issue" — belonging to a woman is that of Joan Acocella, for a back–pages book review. In addition, of the special issue's 33 cartoons, only 3 are by women.

• November 4, 2002
Total bylines: 15
Number of men: 11
Number of women: 4
Pertinent details:Of the four contributions written by women in this issue, none are for lead–section features; one is for a piece of fiction by Antonya Nelson, and three are for staff reviews (by Joan Acocella, Nell Freudenberger, and Judith Thurman) in the magazine's back pages.

• October 28, 2002
Total bylines: 15
Number of men: 12
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details:Of the three bylines belonging to women in this issue's table of contents, one is for a piece of fiction (by Maile Meloy), one is for a back–pages, staff–written review of a television show (by Viriginia Heffernan), and one is for a poem (by Louise Glück).

• October 14 & 21, 2002
Total bylines: 18
Number of men: 15
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details:All three of the contributions by women in this issue — the "America in the World" issue — are stories filed by staffers, consisting of two features (one by Rebecca Mead, the other by Susan Orlean), and a book review (by Elizabeth Kolbert). Note: While the table of contents rarely lists cartoonists' contributions, this week it lists staff cartoonist Roz Chast as a contributor for her "The Back Page" comic. However, Chast's appearance on the table of contents is not inlcuded in this survey because she is a cartoonist, not a writer. (For the record, however, readers may be interested in knowing this issue features 25 cartoons, of which 4 are by women.)

• October 7, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 10
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details:Of the two contributions by women in this issue, one is a book review by staffer Judith Thurman, the other is a poem by Mary Kinzie.

• September 30, 2002
Total bylines: 14
Number of men: 11
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details:One of the three contributions by women in this special "Fall Books" issue is a feature from staffer Larissa MacFarquhar, one is a piece of fiction by Jessica Shattuck, and one is a poem by Josephine Jacobsen.

• September 23, 2002
Total bylines: 13
Number of men: 11
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details:Of the two contributions by women in this issue, one is a feature by staffer Susan Orlean, the other is a piece of fiction by Nadine Gordimer.

• September 16, 2002
Total bylines: 10
Number of men: 8
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details:One of the two contributions by women in this issue is a poem by editor–in–chief David Remnick's assistant Dana Goodyear, her fourth in the magazine so far this year. She remains the magazine's leading female poet of 2002.

• September 9, 2002
Total bylines: 10
Number of men: 8
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details:This issue, released just two day's before New York City's solemn commemoration of the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks, was labeled a "Style Special" and included on its cover a depiction of a woman whose dress is disintegrating to reveal her garter belt. Inside, both contributions by women were from staffers (a feature by Elizabeth Kolbert and back pages review by Judith Thurman).

• September 2, 2002
Total bylines: 13
Number of men: 10
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details: One of the contributions by women in this issue is a review (by Cynthia Ozick) while another is a poem (by Dorothea Tanning).

• August 19 & 26, 2002
Total bylines: 23
Number of men: 14
Number of women: 9
Pertinent details: In this special double issue — "The Food Issue" — four of the contributions by women came from staffers (Joan Acocella, Elizabeth Kolbert, Alma Guillermoprieto, and Jane Kramer), one was a short story (by Annie Proulx) and another was a poem (by Rossana Warren). Note in addition that the magazine also included cartoonist Roz Chast and cover artist Wayne Thiebaud amongst the writers' bylines in the table of contents, something the magazine does not normally do. As they are not writers, they were not included in this tally.

• August 12, 2002
Total bylines: 10
Number of men: 8
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details: Of the two contributions by women, one was by staffer Isabel Hilton, the other a poem by Jean Valentine.

• August 5, 2002
Total bylines: 11
Number of men: 9
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details: One of the contributions by women was a feature by staffer Susan Orlean, and the other was a short story by Alice Munroe.

• July 29, 2002
Total bylines: 10
Number of men: 8
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details: Of the two contributions by women, one was a feature by Molly O'Neill about the modern kitchen, and the other was a poem by editor–in–chief David Remnick's assistant Dana Goodyear, her third in the magazine so far this year, making her the magazine's leading female poet of 2002.

• July 22, 2002
Total bylines: 13
Number of men: 10
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details: Of the three contributions by women, two were reviews by staffer Joan Acocella.

• July 15, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 10
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details: One of the contributions by a woman came from a staffer (Susan Orlean).

• July 8, 2002
Total bylines: 13
Number of men: 12
Number of women: 1

• July 1, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 10
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details: Both of the contributions from women came from staffers (Joan Acocella, Isabel Hilton).

• June 17 & 24, 2002
Total bylines: 19
Number of men: 14
Number of women: 5
Pertinent details: In this special double issue dedicated to fiction, but which contained only three pieces of short fiction, two of those were by women (Grace Paley and Zadie Smith), and one of the other contributions from women was a book review by a staffer (Joan Acocella).

• June 10, 2002
Total bylines: 10
Number of men: 9
Number of women: 1
Pertinent details: The only contribution by a woman was a book review by staffer Judith Thurman.

• June 3, 2002
Total bylines: 15
Number of men: 9
Number of women: 6
Pertinent details: One of the contributions from women was a short story by A.S. Byatt; one was a poem by Sharon Olds; three were from staffers (Lillian Ross, Elizabeth Kolbert, and two by Nancy Franklin), and one was a poem by a staffer — Dana Goodyear, editor David Remnick's assistant.

• May 27, 2002
Total bylines: 13
Number of men: 11
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details: The only contributions by women was a poem by Dorothea Tanning, and a short story by the late Patricia Highsmith.

• May 20, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 10
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details: Both of this issue's contributions by women were from staffers (Elizabeth Kolbert, Rebecca Mead).

• May 13, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 8
Number of women: 4
Pertinent details: Two of the contributions by women were reviews by staffers (Nancy Franklin, Claudia Roth Pierpont), and one was a poem by Katha Pollitt.

• May 6, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 7
Number of women: 5
Pertinent details: Three of the contributions by women came from staffers (Judith Thurman, Elizabeth Kolbert, Jane Kramer), one was a poem by Kimiko Hahn, and one was a short story by Andrea Lee.

• April 22 & 29, 2002
Total bylines: 24
Number of men: 15
Number of women: 9
Pertinent details:In this double issue called "The Money Issue," four of the contributions by women came from staffers (Elizabeth Kolbert, Daphne Merkin, Larissa MacFarquhar, Jane Mayer), and one was a poem by Kathleen Jamie.

• April 15, 2002
Total bylines: 13
Number of men: 9
Number of women: 4
Pertinent details: Two of the contributions by women came from staffers (Nancy Franklin, Larissa MacFarquhar), and two were poems (by Kelle Groom and Elizabeth Alexander).

• April 8, 2002
Total bylines: 11
Number of men: 9
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details: One of the contributions by women was a book review by a staffer (Claudia Roth Pierpont), and one was a poem by a staffer, Dana Goodyear (editor David Remnick's assistant).

• April 1, 2002
Total bylines: 15
Number of men: 13
Number of women: 2
Pertinent details: One of the contributions by women was by staffer Rebecca Mead, and one was a poem by Susan Minot.

• March 25, 2002
Total bylines: 11
Number of men: 10
Number of women: 1
Pertinent details: The only contribution by a woman in this issue was a poem by Linda Gregg.

• March 18, 2002
Total bylines: 14
Number of men: 10
Number of women: 4
Pertinent details: Three of the contributions by women were by staffers (Joan Acocella, Rebecca Mead, Judith Thurman) and the fourth was a short story by Joyce Carol Oates.

• March 11, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 9
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details: Two out of the three contributions by women were by staffers (Isabel Hilton, Nancy Franklin).

• March 4, 2002
Total bylines: 14
Number of men: 11
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details: One of the contributions by women was a review of a television show by staffer Nancy Franklin, and one was a poem by Sharon Olds.

• February 18 & 25, 2002
Total bylines: 19
Number of men: 13
Number of women: 6
Pertinent details: In this double–issue "Anniversary Issue," three of the contributions by women were by staffers (Susan Orlean, Elizabeth Kolbert, Judith Thurman), one was a poem (by Marie Howe), and one was a short story by Tessa Hadley.

• February 11, 2002
Total bylines: 10
Number of men: 7
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details: All three of the contributions by women in this issue were by staffers (Joan Acocella, Jane Kramer, Claudia Roth Pierpont).

• February 4, 2002
Total bylines: 11
Number of men: 8
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details: One of the contributions by women was a review by a staffer, Joan Acocella, one was a short story by Edna O'Brien, and one was a poem by Muriel Spark.

• January 28, 2002
Total bylines: 13
Number of men: 10
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details: One of the contributions by women was by a staffer (Nancy Franklin), and one was a poem (by Marie Ponsot).

• January 21, 2002
Total bylines: 10
Number of men: 10
Number of women: 0

• January 14, 2002
Total bylines: 12
Number of men: 11
Number of women: 1
Pertinent details: The only contribution by a woman in this issue was a review by staffer Joan Acocella.

• January 7, 2002
Total bylines: 11
Number of men: 7
Number of women: 3
Pertinent details: Two out of the three contributions by women in this issue were by staffers (Joan Acocella and Elizabeth Kolbert), and one was a poem (by Linda Gregg).

Check out the previous MobyLives survey:
ALL THE REVIEWS THAT FIT . . . How often often does the New York Times give review books by its own staffers — and how many of those reviews are raves?

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